The study was conducted by the Ivie

The Rectors' Conference of Valencian state universities presented "La contribución socioeconómica de las Universidades públicas valencianas"on September 24. The report carried out by the Ivie looks at the socioeconomic contribution of these institutions.

Among those attending the event was the Education Minister, Ángel Gabilondo; the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Francisco Camps; and the five rectors from the universities which are part of the Valencian state university system (SUPV): Jesús Rodríguez from Miguel Hernández de Elche University; Francisco Tomás from the University of Valencia; Juan Juliá from the Polytechnic University of Valencia; Ignacio Jiménez Raneda from the University of Alicante; and Francisco Toledo from Jaume I University.

The study examines the Valencian universities' contribution from various perspectives, with a focus on the economic dimension of these impacts. Thus, the report details the role that these institutions play in the Valencian community in generating human capital (by training graduates) and technological capital (by research). Other aspects also explored are labour force rates and tax collections.

The study was directed by Ivie researcher José Manuel Pastor and the Institute's research director, Francisco Pérez. Ivie technicians Laura Hernández, Ángel Soler and Irene Zaera took part in the study.

Among the data provided in the report "La contribución socioeconómica de las Universidades públicas valencianas" are the following:

• 92% of Valencian university students are registered at Valencian state universities
• 12.9% of SUPV students are from other autonomous communities (7.9%) or from overseas (5%)
• 30.1% of the total average growth of the Valencian economy in the period 1989-2007 was due to the contributions and resources provided by Valencian state universities
• Valencian state university students are responsible for a direct annual spending of 428.4 million euros
• Spending by all the SUPV universities in the last year amounts to 1,179.8 million
• Those attending conferences and seminars promoted by the SUPV spend 14.2 million euros in the Valencian Community
• University activity represented a total of 64,650 jobs for the second quarter of 2009 (most recent data available), which is equivalent to 3.2% of the total employment in the Valencian Community over this period. This figure also represented 14.67% of employed graduates in the region in the same quarter
• 83% of Valencian university students are employed
• Graduates with a degree in Technical Sciences receive half of the job offers
• Only 5.6% of people with higher studies were unemployed in 2007, a figure which is equivalent to full employment
• The SUPV increases the Valencian labour force rate by 1.34 percentage points
• One in every two euros of expenditure on R&D in the Valencian Community is made by the universities
• Nearly 10% of Spanish PhD theses are defended at SUPV universities
• The economic value of human capital generated by the SUPV stands at about 8,000 million euros
• Through its expenditure on R&D, the SUPV has generated technological capital over the last decade amounting to 1,748 million euros
• Valencian state universities contribute indirectly to increasing the Valencian Community's tax collection to 967.16 annually
• For every euro that has been invested in Valencia's state universities, the SUPV returns 1.35 euros to the Valencian Community.

Press release diffused by the SUPV universities

Executive summary of the report

Report: La contribución socioeconómica de las Universidades públicas valencianas

Presentation (in Spanish)